All things in moderation! I agree! Unfortunately most don’t seem to understand what moderation means. Going to the gym two or three times a week but eating whatever you want? Not moderation. Eating healthy all week then binge drinking and eating anything in your way on the weekends? Not moderation. Here’s the one that I see the most though, living the first 30 years of your life in excess and expecting that moderation will get you back to healthy. Sorry, it doesn’t work that way. If you spent the first 30 years of your life in excess, you first have to offset that excess. Then and only then can you live in moderation.

Friends are always surprised when I devour an entire pizza during a football game, or eat a juicy burger likes it’s the last burger on the planet. I’m not going to sit here and tell you that it’s physically healthy to eat those things, it’s not. But I also don’t eat like that at every meal. Quite often it’s about one meal a week. Oh, and don’t forget 5 days in the gym and 5 days of martial arts as well as playing sports for many, many years. While physically it may not be healthy to eat even that one meal, personally I feel that mentally, it is. Who wants to go through life never eating another dessert? Which reminds me, I love cheesecake!

Having a slice of pumpkin pie on occasion when it reminds you of a great childhood memory of Thanksgiving with the family is a good thing! We just have to understand that one; we can’t have it all the time. Not only is it not good for you to eat it often, but it loses its “specialness”. Two; if you’re already having health issues, you must set those special treats aside to fix your health first.

A couple notes of advice if you’re unsure of how to moderate unhealthy food. First, know that one pound of fat is 3500 calories. Second, one slice of pumpkin pie is about 350 calories and one 12oz can of beer is about 150 calories on average depending on the brand. Third, a typical heavy workout at the gym burns about 300 calories (or over 800 if you take my class!). While I’m not a huge advocate of counting calories, it’s good to have a barometer of what you’re putting into your body. It only takes one slice of pie or a couple beers to completely negate your workout when it comes to burning calories that day! And that’s assuming you ate like a perfect angel the rest of the day…which I’m sure you did!

Think those bad foods/drinks through, are they worth it? Sometimes the answer is yes, sometimes it’s no. If you’re struggling with your weight or other health issues, then the answer is no. Wait until you’re fully healthy before starting your life of moderation!